Is it really a competition anymore? We in webOS land have been reduced to spectators in the mobile phone arena, though at least we can say that the contestants duking it out between iOS, Windows Phone, and Android are making for a pretty decent fight. And now there's a new challenger on the field of battle: Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich. This next major iteration of the Android we know and love/hate brings oodles of new features plus a much-needed visual refresh brought by none other than former webOS designer and current Googler Matias Duarte.

There's more than just the OS, however - it needs a phone too (boy do we ever know how that feels). That phone? The Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It's smooth, slim, and sleek. In fact, in some ways it reminds us of a webOS device. But alas, it's packed with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a full gigabyte of RAM under a 720p 4.65-inch screen unlike anything we've had the chance to see in a webOS smartphone. It's huge!

Android Central has the full review of the new Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0. By and large it can be chalked up in the win column for Android. With guys like Duarte on board ensuring that the user experience is first-rate, Android is going to prove to be healthy competition for the iPhones, Windows Phones, and BlackBerries of the world. If only there were a webOS phone that could join the brawl... any webOS phone at all...

83 Comments

not going to lie, i'm considering switching to that phone. i love my Pre2, but I took a video when i was hunting the other morning and it didn't save the video... something kind of snapped in my head about WebOS. i just want a really good phone! i'm still loyal to Palm, but hp isn't loyal to us, so i don't feel bad about switching over... if Palm ever comes back, i'll just switch back to it...

Yep, if Android ever gets their multitasking to be up to webOS level, then I can't see a reason for anyone to ever consider webOS over Android. Google obviously will continually update their OS. webOS is almost dead and might die again.

Android notifications in ICS will be equal to webOS (you can now swipe away individual notifications).

I hate to say it but ICS is putting one of the last nails in webOS's coffin.

Im sorry but any phone with an OS as aged as WebOS that still has persistent bugs where videos dont even save is unacceptable. I gave my Pre so many chances its not even funny...but really, there is so much more to an OS than feeling cool about flicking away cards. My Pre's (7 replacements strong) consistently had bad signals that dropped out as the phone overheated, along with the GPS randomly cutting out with open skies and full signals. idk I never felt i could trust my smartphone, it consistently let me down. I now have a Sprint 4S and the peace of mind is very satisfying...and thats on the Sprint Network.

Yes there are expensive Android phones, but the majority of Android Garbage is sold at $0 - $50 dollars. So yes, people want iOS (Which Android ripped off) at a discount price. It's like wanting a Lexus but buying a Kia and saying "it looks similar for the outside..." Samsung has over 100 phones on the market, a few are nice, the rest are **** that people get because it looks like iOS, but it is free.

Not to mention Google keep tabs on everyone you call and every email the goes to your phone.

I just did, if the best selling phone is only 4% of your sales, than it is most likely diluted by cheap junk phones like the Huawei m835 Ideos. It's Ok, some people are generic shoppers, they go to ALDI (the Android of supermarkets). The products are not as good and made in suspect food processing plants, but at least you can save money.

iOS is the whole foods, you pay more, but you know you get top quality, ex. software updates and a harmonious, cross platform user experience. And google can't listen in to your calls and emails, unless you use gmail...

I have been reading this trying to comment on it to give my opinion. There are cheap android systems out there. (manly tablets) I was going through my flyers and found a like no name brand with a 75 dollar tablet in there at full price! So android makes a variety of products. Some big pieces of **** worth 20 bucks to make. And some are just as good if not better then the iPhone. Depends on the system.

Oh and @nimer55 Go be a ***** somewhere else this place is for commenting your opinions. Not for coming in with a fat *** and making fun of people.

Well - being a WebOS fanatic and Palm user from way back, even my loyalty is getting mighty stretched. As to best OS beside WebOS, a friend who has worked on the inside of several is telling me WP esp with Mango. Tell you - it looks simple and sweet, and I'm leaning that way when my Pre minus form Sprint (that's right, I'm an original) finial fails.

I'm an original Sprint Pre owner too. I'm just beginning my research into a replacement since it seems my Pre is starting to have new wear issues each week :( I already know what Android is like. I have family members with Android phones. Not leaning that way. I want to see what the other options are.

So they can't afford an IOS device? What point are you trying to make? Somehow there is something wrong with them, one not being able to afford something, and two, having sense enough to not buy what they can afford instead of over extending? That's called being responsible. What point is it you're trying to make by inferring that this is some how wrong even if it was true?

How come management doesn't want us to post articles about other hand sets in the other handset section...especially since webOS handsets are no longer made, (they only want articles in the other handset section to relate to webOS handsets in the article)...yet they can put an Android phone article on the front page...a bit hypocritical isn't it??

Because Pre Central needs something to write about. Since there is no news for WebOS, because HP is garbage, they post this. Do you want another pre3 review? They are doing the best they can with a crappy situation.

Because moderators on Precentral are by and large petty evangelists that don't want you or anyone else to talk about anything other then webos or to say anything that could remotely be bad about webos. They have been moving any post they don't like, deleting posts, cramming posts into into one giant massive post all in order to stifle any discussion of anything they don't like. It's been like that for not just months but years. I once saw a post deleted from "off topic" because it was off topic. And their actions are allowed because they say "can't question moderators." i find it very childish. It's a child's power play to me.

I don't know why the people that run these sights don't allow all discussion and stop the censoring but they never really have. I take that to mean either they agree or find the forums like going into 4chan and just decide **** it, they want nothing to do with it.

Imagine what the next generation of webOS could have been. Now imagine it on the next generation 720p display. That's the Galaxy Nexus.

Matias Duarte was the mastermind behind the webOS user interface. He left Palm after the HP take-over and has been at work on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich user interface ever since. The Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to have Duarte's next generation OS.

The Galaxy Nexus hardware sets a new standard for phones. It has the first 720p HD SAMOLED display and is wicked fast. With over 300,000 apps, 'there is an app for that' for almost anything.

Gartner just announced that Android now has over 50% world-wide market-share. The Galaxy Nexus takes Android to the next level.

If you want to see what the next generation of webOS could have been, this is it.

While Duarte would have pushed in this direction, Palm (and HP) refused to lose the hardware QWERTY thereby making this form factor unlikely. Additionally, they didn't have access to Super AMOLED displays like this, so even if they could've made a beast this size, it would - at BEST - have a Super LCD or maybe even a regular TFT display which would've excited few.

Also, Android made getting the OS "closer to the metal" a priority which is why ICS not only has 3D GPU Renderscript throughout the OS for smoother scrolling, zooming, and such, but also has an option to force GPU rendering on third party apps not even coded for it. This was never a priority for Palm or HP.

This could - in another dimension - be the future of WebOS, but in THAT world, WebOS was not owned/run by Palm or HP.

"Also, Android made getting the OS "closer to the metal" a priority which is why ICS not only has 3D GPU Renderscript throughout the OS for smoother scrolling, zooming, and such, but also has an option to force GPU rendering on third party apps not even coded for it. This was never a priority for Palm or HP."

I wouldn't say it wasn't a priority. More like they couldn't figure how in heck to get it to work in WebOS. Even before they were bought out. Palm enlisted the help of the super coders who made voodoo. Ya know where that got them? Absolutely nowhere. They couldn't figure it out. It's a fundamental flaw in WebOS from day one. As much as I think Android is mash up. It's a mash up that works and now works unbelievably better. ICS is where WebOS4 should have been on that mystery black slab prototype. That one that never made it out of development. Kinda like everything in HPalm. Stuck in development.

My Pre 3 is just the right size, slightly bigger than the original Pre. At the same time, it is a comfortably pocketable phone. How do you carry these new mini-tablets around with you? Remember, it is a phone...

The Nexus phones are not nearly as bad as the numbers make them seem. What is not emphasized when most people say the pre2/pre3 is perfect is the thickness. I recently moved from Pre2 to a Nexus S - 3.1" to 4" screen... seems like a huge jump on paper. And yes, when I put the pre on the nexus, the difference is visually huge. But the Nexus S just drops right into my jean pocket and is less noticeable than the pre2 was because it is almost 1/2 the thickness. I can walk, sit down, kneel, whatever with no problems.

And also: NOBODY WILL EVER NEED ANYTHING MORE THAN THE PRE3, I'VE GOT ONE AND IT'S PERFECT (esp. the hardware).
Sorry guys, I usually hate capital spelling, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Pre3 is a true winner. The spec race is for 14 year olds.

Processing speed is meaningless if the OS isn't coded efficiently. Hence the Touchpad pretty much being a turtle compared to an iPad 2 even though they're both running dual core processors and the Touchpad is clocked 200mhz higher stock.

your post is laughable at best. The Galaxy Nexus is about the software, hardly about hardware. One day you will awake from your smartphone comma and realize that the pre3 is a joke compared to every other smartphone in the smartphone segment. I awoke from the comma a bit over a year ago myself.

Sure, your pre3 may do everything you think you need it to but there's a major hangup...It simply lacks apps.

For me it wasn't about another **** app or other useless time-wasters. I got tired of seeing my credit cards, my credit union, airlines, etc all release ios and android apps. With each passing day, I realized they would not be releasing their apps on webos. And even if an app exists on webos and android, as I have found out with the youversion bible app, the android version is updated with many more features I didn't know existed. And before android, I had no idea you could do so many things with the camera or mic.

Apps are much like the smartphone itself: you don't know you need them until you use them.

but he didn't say "you" he said "nobody". What you want is fine. Plenty of people want other things. they want options. they want choice. shoot i don't need 10k apps. But i need like like 65 and the problem is 60 of them were never on webos.

This. The other thing is that at free-$1.99, there is such a thing as disposable apps. I've had situations were an app's functionality came in handy for a single use because of my needs at that specific point in time.

Not all apps need to be used daily to be considered "useful". I've been on vacation and used certain tourist apps just for that occasion and as glad to be able to find them free or cheap when I needed them.

I once needed to get an estimate of the size of a certain part of my back yard to have some work done and was glad to have access to an app for that even though I haven't had a need for that app since then.

I've purchased educational apps for my kids that came in handy for a few weeks and weren't needed after that. All in all, I consider each case to be $0-$1.99 well spent. Choice is good.

The problem is when you poll 20 million users and ask them which 5 apps they use, the end result is a number that is much higher than 5. If your 5 apps work for you, then perfect! However, there are millions of people buying devices and they all have their own needs. What's more, their needs aren't static.

Tiny example: There a lots of educational apps for children that I never considered until we had children. Now not only do we consider them, but the list that we consider changes as the kids grow.

If an ecosystem does not evolve faster than (or at least keep pace with) its user base, it is doomed.

Agreed. I am actually just about to buy a second Pre 3 as a backup. So glad to have been able to get these even though they aren't released. Pre 3 rocks: Smooth slider, bigger keyboard, beautiful screen, better camera, voice dialing, and all fast! With WiFi Media Sync and Pocket Mirror (finally went to Outlook 2010 after 15 years of Palm Desktop), I now have the upgraded Treo I have wanted for many moons. Very happy camper.

first two lines are so true! This is how I've felt ever since Palm was purchased. WebOS kinda reminds me of this lowly Samsung Replenish I now own (thanks Sprint). A great idea given a half-assed effort dies. It's not even worth mentioning in conversations anymore.

I would be ecstatic if any company made a phone with the same multitasking and meta-touch as webOS :) but not running an OS that gets no love. So... Pre3 running Android, iOS, or Mango, incorporating the UI of webOS would definitely do it for me. That would be much better than Pre- or + or 2 or 3. Probably the best phone, period. It's not about loyalty to a non-existent team anymore, it's loyalty to the best tech the world has to offer. Just sucks that we can't take the best of everything and incorporate it into outstanding gadgets because of patents. smh

I bought a used Nexus S 4G and am now patiently waiting for ICS :-). I know you are ready to push the thumbs down now, but read on first.

My Sprintified pre2 was a rock solid device compared to the Pre-, but I just could not take the HP will they or won't they drama any more.

Prior to the switch, I was worried about all the typical anti-android battle-cries: gestures, not true multitasking, synergy, pocketability, fragmentation.. but after 2 weeks in android land I can say, those concerns are largely non-issues. I'm confident that ICS will further diminish those concerns. Sure, webos does do several things better than android, but for the most part android just does things differently. I do miss some webos niceties, but not enough to suffer thru dated hardware, lack of updates, lack of apps (the camera and mic apps in Android alone are enough to switch), lack of communication, and lack of backing.

Unfortunately, HP has let webos wither well past the point of no return. Trust me, there are far superior mobile OS's out there. Now you can click thumbs down :)

I too bought a Nexus S 4G and am pretty happy with it so far (the battery life is a different story tho). I'm also looking forward to ICS and hope to see it SOON!.

I still love webOS though (I still have my OG Pre and 3 TouchPads) and hope that HP will do right by it in some way, shape or form (even if that means selling or open-sourcing).

The comparison of the number of apps between Android and webOS is pretty daunting. However, I haven't really found that many more apps that I use on my Android than I have on my webOS devices. Although, there are some that are pretty damned cool.

At this point, I still see webOS as the better of the OSes. I just switched because I needed to update and didn't have any other option.

The GNex will most likely be my next phone. I have been enjoying the Pre 3 for a while. My touchpad is great and IMO very much worth the money I spent.
Why move to android? Mostly because of ICS. It looks like a pretty polished OS.
Since the Nexus gets updates from Google it's an easy choice over non-nexus phones that may not even see 4.x or 5.0.

Now wait a minute Derek. I see where this could be going. You rooting for Mr. Duarte is like me rooting for a fantasy football player whose team just happens to be playing against my favorite team. Yikes! :)

Well. I was a first day pre user and i still love webos. But seriously: I don't think that anybody who has a SGS2 will switch back to a pre3. And since Samsung announced the ics Update for it, well here comes a part of WebOs back to my phone. And anybody who's still waiting for a miracle is ... well a webos loyal.

I was about to pull the trigger on a Pre3 after my Pre+ took a dive, but the announcement that it would no longer be supported killed that idea. My contract is up next May and hopefully there will be a WebOS to come back to.. maybe not new hardware right away, but an announcement by HP would be nice.. or a plan.. or a clue.
I have my fingers crossed for a WebOS comeback, but if not, this beast looks pretty cool.

I said the same thing to myself last september (when webos loyals kept saying "oh its coming, its coming" and were bitter at those jumping ship to Evo and Epic) that I would give Android a run for a year and come back to webos when they have something out, I was excited for the February announcement too.

since then a year has passed and nothing. Turns out HP killed it. Oh well, I LOVE my Epic 4g and may even stick with it for the remainder of my 2-year contract.

you will love Android too. Trust me.

*I remain hopeful that Google will buy webOS and complete the merger. Webos has so much to offer that android still lacks (although not at current pace) and Android has *a lot* of what webOS needs. Sadly this is likely to remain just a dream :(

I finally switched to Android last week after suffering from all the damage that HP has done to WebOS. I bought the Motorola Razr and don't regret it at all. I know have a phone that we see updates, developers sctually want to work on and is not going to be killed by the company that owns it any time soon. I still love WebOS and wish that it had thrived but it was time.

:( I've committed to leaving my precious release day Palm Pre. I almost bit on the Evo 3D until I heard about Ice Cream Sandwich and NFC.

I apparently have a new phobia about buying a phone and then being left behind by technology... So I want a true ICS phone (without buttons) and a NFC chip so that I can use it when that becomes popular next year with the release of the iPhone 5.

i like android but i draw the line at 4 inch screens i think. Is it still a competition? No. Webos phones are insignificant now. last i saw they were lumped in the 1% other class in terms of market share. "Reminds us of a webos device?" I don't know about that. It's a slab. That fact right there, at least to me, makes it not feel like a webos device. Regardless, android has always had a bunch of features over it's competition.

I wish someone would port Android to my Pre3, for when HP sells webOS. The Pre3 really is a good phone that could have made a real run for it.... but water under the bridge now.

As to the Galaxy Nexus, if I didn't like keyboards so much I would be tempted. But typing on virtual keyboards ticks me off pretty quick.

When it comes out on a "lesser" phone with a keyboard and smaller screen that ginormous current "superphones", then I could make the switch back to Android again. (I sold my Samsung Epic on eBay and bought a TouchPad with it!)

My next phone. Soon as this thing comes out I'm upgrading. (I have had an upgrade available for several months now) My Palm Pre Plus is on it's last legs. A small crack has formed at the edge of the screen and the battery only holds about 50% of it's original charge. I can't justify the cost of another battery when I'm ready to ditch it. I'm going to send my old phone back to Verizon, it's worth about $20 in their return program. I have no further use for it. WebOS is dead.